NIGHT CROWNED
Tales NOBLE DEMON
Gothenburg’s black/death explorers head into safe territory
Night Crowned claim to be taking blackened death metal to bold new places, but on Tales their quest only ever leads them through well-trodden territory. De Namnlösa opens the album with a stomping death metal march, then accelerates into blastbeats with some melodic lead lines before breaking into a symphonic bridge. It’s basically Lorna Shore without the breakdowns, and what these Swedes add to that formula has long been rendered clichéd. She Comes At Night adds folk frills and, as with Lupus Luna, clashes growls with operatic female vocals à la Cradle Of Filth. There’s no shortage of sweltering guitar athletics, but Tales feels more like an album ticking off a checklist of conventions than a genuine artistic statement.